Ireland's media regulator Coimisiún na Meán said it will be providing assistance to the European Commission for its investigation into X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Commission announced today that it has opened formal proceedings to assess whether X breached the EU's new set of online safety rules known as the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Coimisiún na Meán will enforce the DSA in Ireland from February next year and will play a leading role in policing the new rules because so many of the social media firms, including X, have their European headquarters in Ireland.
"Coimisiún na Meán will provide assistance to the European Commission in this investigation," the regulator said today.
The European Commission is investigating X over its obligations to counter illegal content and disinformation, suspected breaches of its transparency obligations and suspected deceptive design of its user interface.
In October, the Commission sent X a request for information over the spread of illegal content and disinformation in relation to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
"On the basis of the preliminary investigation conducted so far, including on the basis of an analysis of the risk assessment report submitted by X in September, X's Transparency report published on 3 November, and X's replies to a formal request for information, which, among others, concerned the dissemination of illegal content in the context of Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel, the Commission has decided to open formal infringement proceedings against X under the Digital Services Act," the Commission said in a statement.
The investigation will focus on the effectiveness of X's "Community Notes" system in the EU, suspected shortcomings in giving researchers access to X's publicly accessible data and a suspected deceptive design of the user interface, notably in relation to checkmarks linked to certain subscription products, the so-called Blue checks.
If proven, the failures would constitute infringements of the DSA and the Commission said it will now carry out an in-depth investigation as a matter of priority.
In a response, X said it remains committed to complying with the Digital Services Act, and is cooperating with the regulatory process.
"It is important that this process remains free of political influence and follows the law," a spokesperson said.
"X is focused on creating a safe and inclusive environment for all users on our platform, while protecting freedom of expression, and we will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal," the company added.
These are the first formal proceedings launched to enforce the DSA.
Under the rules, companies face fines up to 6% of their global turnover for breaches while repeated violations could see them banned from doing business in the EU.
